


Decking the Deck Chairs

by Ononymous



Series: Christmas 2020 Stories and Requests [4]
Category: Deltarune (Video Game), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Gen, Pre-Deltarune
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:26:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28385478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous
Summary: Putting up the decorations can be such a pain. But when Kris sees their brother want to be helpful for their parents, how can they refuse his call for help?
Relationships: Asriel Dreemurr & Kris (Deltarune)
Series: Christmas 2020 Stories and Requests [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2074179
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Decking the Deck Chairs

Despite the snow outside, one window upstairs was open. Its occupant didn't mind the breeze coming from outside, and in return a simple tune chimed into the air as they kept turning the music box producing it. The tune was deeply familiar to them, having played with the box at least once a day since they first got it, but it never failed to make them feel... well calm, if nothing else. Not even a knock on the door made them stop turning the handle.

"Kris?"

Being addressed by name was a different matter. The music stopped as furry feet walked past them on the floor to close the window.

"Brr, I never understand why you like the open window at winter!" said Asriel. "Hey, you wanna do something cool?"

"..." Kris' expression didn't change much, but Asriel if nobody else knew when they were paying attention.

"Mom and Dad got the decorations out of the attic," he continued, "and they realised they're out of wrapping paper. They were wondering who used it all up, but decided to go out and get more. But they didn't put the decorations up. I think we should! It means it's all done by the time they get back, and then they don't have to get worried about it. I don't want them to get annoyed, at this time of year, you know? So, wanna help me?"

Kris' hand rested on the handle of the music box as Asriel's eager smile awaited their answer. Then they nodded vigorously.

"Great! Let's g-"

Kris was already going, springing to their feet and running into the landing. They were already halfway down the stairs by the time Asriel followed them out of the bedroom.

"Hey, be careful, don't trip on the-"

_Thump!_

Asriel gave a sharp bleat, then scrambled down the stairs. Sure enough Kris was clutching their knee on the floor, though not crying. They didn't cry very much, even when hurt.

"Oh no! Are you okay?"

Kris nodded, a defiant look on their face. Asriel rested his own hand where Kris was holding his leg.

"I don't know the magic Mom would use, but maybe this will help! ...um, does it? Are you feeling better?"

Kris looked at where human and monster hands were trying to mend what had gone wrong, then to Asriel's face, then back and forth several times over. Then they nodded, more slowly and deliberately this time, then patted Asriel's snoot in gratitude.

"Good thing Mom, didn't see that, you know how she'd get. You need to be more careful Kris. But never mind, we've got a tree to decorate!"

They looked over to the tree. It was propped against the wall, next to several boxes with some variant of "Decorations" written on it.

"Oh, Dad didn't prop the tree up before they left. Hmm..." Asriel looked around at the room, thinking about how to proceed. "Okay, Kris, see the base of the tree there? Hold on to it. I'm gonna try and push the tree into place." Kris followed where his finger pointed and gripped the crossed metallic brace fiercely. "Okay, here we go... Hnng!"

Asriel had reached as high as he could, around two thirds of the height of the tree, and pushed hard. The tree began to move... and move... and topple over.

"No no no _no no!_ " He raced round to the other side and stopped it toppling, then pushed again, until the tree is upright. "Okay, Kris, I think there's a round thing at the part where the trunk is going through. Turn it clockwise."

"...what's clockwise?" asked Kris.

"Oh golly, it's... you know when Mom is baking something and there's a little timer on the oven, and when it goes down to zero it means the pie is ready?" Kris nodded. "Well turn the round thing in the other direction."

"Ummm..." Asriel heard the squeaky valve as Kris kept turning it a small amount each time. He could feel the tree shift slightly as the brace tightened around it. Soon the squeaks stopped. "Stuck. Won't go!"

"It's okay. I think..." Carefully, Asriel let go of the tree. It didn't start to fall in any direction. "I think we did it! No, YOU did it! Thanks, Kris!" Kris didn't cheer, but Asriel caught a small smile on their face. "Now let's see which decoration is which..."

The two children eventually opened every box scattered around the room, finding baubles in one box, long ropes of silver tinsel in another, rainbow lights in a third, and so on.

"No Kris, leave the lights alone," warned Asriel, "Mom says only grownups should use those. But we can put the other stuff on! Not the Angel either, I don't think we can reach."

They started with a rope of green and silver tinsel. Asriel held it as high as he could, and let Kris walk around the tree as he helped guide where it wrapped itself among the branches. Apart from the fact it looped twice around the lowest set of branches, Asriel thought it looked good. Next they scooped up as many red and golden baubles as they could, and hung them on branches at random. Apart from the four or five that fell onto the floor, the tree held every single one, and it looked even more decorated than either child remembered from last year. Because they hadn't put any baubles on the side of the tree facing the corner of the room.

"You think that looks good, Kris?" Kris nodded. "Hee hee, me too! Okay, take these ornaments off the mantlepiece and put them on the table, Mom can help us put them away later. Wait, one at a time, you can't hold- Ahh!"

Asriel made a dive for the china tea cup Kris had just dropped, and caught it inches from disaster. Instead of checking it for cracks however, he looked up at Kris, who was flinching when Asriel had yelled.

"I'm sorry, Kris. I just didn't want you to get in trouble. Look, do you want me to take these off and then-" But they refused. They put the plate of the cup on the table, then went back to grab an ornamental froggit, "Okay. Golly, you're determined! But one at a time, okay?"

"Okay!"

The mantlepiece was soon cleared, and soon miniature trees, replicas of the church with a snow-laden roof and abstract figures of the angel stood guard over the fireplace with no rhyme or reason. Next was an easy part Asriel let Kris do by themselves; hang up the stockings. Two large ones with 'A' and 'T' on the outer edges, two smaller ones with 'A' and 'K' in the middle. Then Kris tool out a blue tinsel rope and threw it over the festive ornaments, which Asriel thought looked really cool.

"Just one more thing before Mom and Dad need to help us, this 'Happy Christmas' banner!" said Asriel. "Let's see, there's the first hook..."

Asgore had all these hooks for hanging things drilled in in previous years so the kids could indeed help with decoration, but the banner didn't have a convenient loop pre-tied, so Asriel had to tie a knot. But as soon as he tried to tie the other end, his knot unravelled and the banner fell to the floor. So he picked it up and tried to tie it up again, and the other end fell down. So he tried to tie it again, and the first end fell down.

"Darn it darn it darn it!" said Asriel, looking as Kris' unmistakable amusement at the back and forth. "I'm trying to do it like BP showed me when I went to his house, but I can't quite remember. Maybe his fingers aren't as thick as mine. Hey, where are you going?" He watched Kris run into the kitchen and heard a drawer open. "No scissors, or Mom will ground us!"

Forutnately Kris did not return with scissors or anything sharp. Instead they had the sellotape. Asriel tussled their hair in gratitude, and wrapped the string around the first hook, letting Kris take out a strip of tape a foot long before they figured out how to break it from the roll, and Asriel wrapped it around the string, where it was firmly stuck. He even tugged on it, but it refused. Satisfied, he held up the far end of the banner, making sure the letters in the middle weren't twisted the wrong way, before holding the string in place while Kris got out a much shorter strip. Soon the banner held under its own weight, the H in Happy right next to one hook, while the S in Christmas was a foot from the other.

"That looks great!" said Asriel, giving their sibling a hug. "Thanks for helping me, Kris. Now, should we open those outside decorations before-"

The front door opened. "...honestly don't understand how we wasted so much paper, Asgore. I thought that roll would last until next year's birthdays."

"Tori, the last present you wrapped was barely covered on the base, five seconds would have told Rudy what we'd gotten him without even opening it. I just like to keep presents a surprise, is all."

"That's all well and good, but we are not made of money, I just want to make sure we have enough to send the children to University, we cannot waste-"

"Surprise!" "Supp pies!"

The bickering ground to a half at Asriel's unknowing yell and Kris' attempt to copy him. His choice of word was appropriate as Asgore and Toriel looked around the room, at the over-baubled tree with an entirely bare upper third. The seasonal ornaments mixed together on the mantlepiece without any idea of how they were supposed to be matched while the normal ones were scattered around the table. The tree lights unspooled in front of the television but thankfully not plugged in. The admittedly well arranged stockings, but the unbalanced banner wishing a Happy Christmas. It all looked... home made.

"Now you don't have to do it all by yourself," said Asriel, "we helped!"

"Oh, my child," said Toriel, "it is all very..." Her eyes darted from flaw to flaw. "Very..."

"Thoughtful of you!" said Asgore, scooping up Kris in his arms. "And you helped your brother too?"

"Uh huh!"

"Golly, I know we're so proud of your hard work!" he beamed. "Right, dear!"

"...of course," she said, tussling her son's fur, "it is just... different from how I would do it..."

"Well you can finish it," said Asriel, "I knew not to touch the lights or go outside or anything!"

"Yes, good," said Toriel. "Well before we finish, can you help me take in groceries from the car?"

"Angel?" The three monsters looked to where Kris was pointing, at the tree's capstone still resting in its box.

"Yes, Angel," said Asgore, picking it up and handing it to his youngest child. "Now Asriel, you don't mind? You got to put it on last year."

"...no," he said, with a brave face.

"Good boy." Asgore lifted Kris up, and watched as they plopped it at the very top, where it immediately leant to the left.

"Well done, Kris!" said Asriel.

Kris allowed themselves to chuckle at the praise, prompting their father to bundle them into a hug. Toriel, swept up in the moment, scooped up Asriel to give him a hug of her own. Kris started humming a tune, the same tune from their music box. The children felt triumphant that their work had paid off, even while they didn't notice that their parents never brought them together for a group hug, as they might have done in times past.

**Author's Note:**

> Original suggestion: Asriel and Anon set up Christmas decorations
> 
> Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


End file.
